Science
New wild cat species identified in Bolivia's cloud forest
September 17, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Coverage
3 reports · over 8 hours
AJAl Jazeera English
New tiger cat species identified in Bolivia, first in over a century
(opens the publisher’s site)
BNBBC News
New wild cat species discovered - with only one known living member
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
New cat species identified in Bolivia for first time in more than a century
(opens the publisher’s site)Researchers have confirmed a previously unknown wild cat species in Bolivia's Yungas forest, the first new cat species formally named in over a century.
- The study, published Thursday in Current Biology, confirmed the small spotted cat — called Tilcayo by local communities — as a new species, Leopardus tilcayo, using DNA from 38 sampled cats.
- Only one confirmed living member is known: a 10-year-old male named Tigrino at the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary in Bolivia, though scientists believe others exist.
- The genetic analysis found tiger cats comprise five distinct species rather than three, and described a new subspecies in Peru's Yungas, Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo.
- Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who first noticed the cat at the sanctuary, said "there are still new species waiting to be discovered."